Pink Feather Coat
by SlyTiger
Summary: A night to remember glittering eyes and tacky sunglasses. The day that changed my life forever. This park is where everything happened. All the joy and laughter and sadness and fear I felt from meeting this man. It all happened in the front of the fountain under the starry sky.


**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE. I AM SIMPLY A FAN. Turns out I am writing more for this short story and I also revised what is already written. I'm having way to much fun with this story. It's running away from me.**

* * *

It was a day I'll never forget. Because that day I met the man I fell in love with. We hadn't known each other for very long but from the moment I gazed into those crystal clear eyes of his I knew he was the one. No one could have convinced me otherwise. I'm sure you're all curious as to how I met this man and as to his identity. If you'll allow me to start at the beginning, then I'll gladly tell you about the day I will never forget.

It started off like any other day for me. I had the a few days off work and slept in late the first morning. It felt good to rest my bones. I stretched out on my queen-sized bed. My soft blue blanket fell unceremoniously onto the floor the heap of cloth then made its way over to me. It had fallen on my beloved puppy Coco. I laughed at the sight. His little nose stuck out from the blanket as his tail wiggled the rest making him look like a ghost. I barely stepped two feet from my bed before Coco, my miniature dachshund trampled over my feet. Rolling my eyes, I removed the blanket and threw it on my bed, careful not to hit the lamp on the nightstand. Padding into the bathroom I shooed Coco out, he hates showers but he's convinced the strange device is going to eat me. I don't need to hear his yapping quite yet.

I decided to take a nice warm shower this morning. Although it was spring my room tends to get cold. It doesn't help that I enjoy sleeping in nothing but a tank top and shorts. I began to brush my teeth while the water heated up. The minty freshness of the tooth paste made me feel wonderful. Undressing, I stepped into the shower and thoroughly rinsed my hair and body. All the sweat my body accumulated throughout the night slid right off and vanished. Feeling clean is the best sensation in the world.

Walking out of the bathroom with nothing but my towel I headed to my dresser. I hadn't pulled out an outfit the night before because I was so tired so I reached in and grabbed a cute yellow flowing tank top and light pink capris. Stylish but comfortable, this outfit was the best fit for today and to make things better it wasn't raining outside. Spring is such a fickle season. Now I had to decided what to do with my hair. I sat in front of my vanity and stared at myself willing the ideas to pop out of my mind. Coco barked loudly in the other room. He must see squirrels in the nearby tree. That dog is a piece of work sometimes. He keeps running from my room to the living room trying to get me to look at the menacing squirrels. My brain hurt from thinking so hard (I'm lazy in the morning) so I made the decision to leave my hair down today.

All dressed and ready, I opened the back door to let Coco into the backyard. I just hope he doesn't roll in the dirt and soil his pretty tan coat. Giving him a bath can be a pain. So instead of stressing myself by watching him I decided to make bacon and eggs for this morning's breakfast. Oh, how I love food. Coco does too so I might just slip him a piece of bacon if he's good. Humming a random tune, I started on cooking. I had a spring in my step, I was so excited to eat and relax today!

* * *

Nothing exciting happened at all after breakfast this morning. Coco of course rolled in dirt and I had to give him a bath. He did not enjoy that and neither did I. The spoiled prince pouted all the while.

I have done nothing but sit on my couch and watch TV. My hair and clothes were all wrinkled and messy from laying down and my floor was covered in wet paw prints and dog toys. I need to be productive. I need to get off my lazy ass and get a move on. It was only 4:30 in the afternoon. That's when it hit me. I should take Coco for a walk. I know I just bathed him but both of us need the exercise. If he gets dirty, then so what! He'll just get another fun bath.

"All right. Sounds like a plan!" I yelled for all the world to hear. Rushing to my room I quickly brushed my hair and fixed my clothes. I rummaged through my closet looking for my favorite sandals. Success! Looking in the mirror I was satisfied with my appearance. I grabbed my dog purse, cellphone, and keys off the vanity and rushed to the front door.

"Coco!" I yelled. The little bastard came running from somewhere deep in the bowels of my one-story house that he knows is off limits.

"Go find your leash crazy." He knew exactly where we were going. I could see the excitement on his face as he ran to the front door. His whole tiny body wiggled as I clipped his leash onto the harness he was wearing. This little dog just can't sit still. I quickly jog to the kitchen and grab myself a water bottle and a tiny dog bowl for him. He's going to tire himself out where we are going. Locking the door behind us, I headed towards my car. I'm driving Coco and I to our favorite park downtown. It's in the middle of this little city of ours.

* * *

This park is where everything happened. All the joy and laughter and sadness and fear I felt from meeting this man. It all happened in the front of the fountain under the starry sky.

* * *

Coco had me running around chasing him for an hour. This little dog has a lot of energy to spare. Both of us were panting and in desperate need of water. I am so glad I brought that water bottle with me. Weaving our way through the crowd Coco and I found an empty park bench under a pretty dogwood tree. I took a moment to just relax for a second before gaining enough coordination to open up my purse. Running was not my forte.

I rummaged through my bag for the water bottle. I pulled out Coco's water bowl as well. Coco and I downed the entire thing in less than a minute. We both needed that nice refreshing water. For a nice change of pace, I decided that we would continue to sit in the bench and relax.

I took a moment to lay back and hang my head over the top of the bench back. Coco started barking and when I looked up a large man stood before me. I was awestruck for a moment. This man was incredibly handsome especially with the light smile he wore on his face. I could not help but stare at him. His short blond hair. White button up shirt. Black slacks. And pink tinted, tacky looking sunglasses but he pulled them off somehow. I noticed his smile grow wider. I had gotten so caught up in admiring his appearance I'd forgotten that staring was rude and impolite.

"Sorry," I mumbled a bit sheepishly.

He let out a light laugh. Wow, it was like music to my ears. "No problem, is this seat taken?" He gestured to the other half of the bench.

"No please! It's free," I slid over to make more room for him. I still could not stop staring at the man. He was beautiful. Coco proceeded to jump up on this stranger's lap. Much to my horror my messy pup was getting dirt all over the man's clothes. "Coco! Oh no! I'm so sorry about him!"

"Don't worry about it," he said as he reached down to pat Coco on the head. I couldn't help but smile at how sweet his interact with Coco was. The stranger began to pet Coco's stomach as he had rolled over. They both looked so adorable. I was star struck by this man. I could feel it in my soul. Lost in my own thoughts again I ended up staring right at him, again. My trance was broken when he started to chuckle. I apologize for the third time in the past five minutes.

He began to speak, "There's no need to apologize miss, I am handsome after all."

Smug bastard.

"Anyhow," he continued, "would you allow me to vent? I was looking for someone to talk too as I'm not feeling the best. I couldn't help but notice that you're all alone out here today and thought you'd appreciate some company as well."

I just kind of looked at him for a moment. I usually try to avoid interacting with people. I'm quite shy but today I was feeling rather spontaneous. So, I agreed. He began to tell me all sorts of stories about his life. He went on and on. He didn't expect anything of me but to listen. He must have been lonely. We were both so wrapped his story telling that neither of us noticed that the sun had begun set.

"…and that's why I will never wear white shoes to ANY office party! Oh my, it seems that time has gotten away from us." He pointed towards the sky. Stars were starting to appear. "I've bored you enough miss. Thank you for listening. This has helped improve my mood greatly." He removed a sleeping Coco from his lap and began to get up.

"Wait a moment," I started. He turned around to face me. I was unsure of what exactly I wanted from him. We were strangers after all. Sure, I'd listened to him talk about his life but I knew nothing of what he was like on a personal level. I wanted to know him. I wanted to do more to help him. I knew then that I want to make this man happy. He seemed so far away from the me though. I could reach out and touch him yet the distance between us seemed far too great. I had a strange feeling that we belonged to two separate worlds. That wasn't going to stop me.

"Don't go just yet," I had spoken before I could form a proper thought.

"Miss me already? I barely walked two feet away." Damn. He was smug.

I rolled my eyes at him. "No, you fool. Just come with me. I want to show you something."

I gathered up my things and picked up Coco. The lazy dog refused to move another inch. I stretched out my limbs, they were sore from sitting so long. After dealing with the crick in my neck I decided I was feeling bold. I reached out and grabbed his hand. I pointed to the direction I wanted to go and began to tug him along. He didn't utter out a word of protest. Good thing I was walking in front of him, I was blushing like mad.

* * *

We made our way through the winding paths of the park. Weaving through people, I had to make sure I wasn't jostling Coco too much. The little puppy had fallen back asleep. Somehow along the way to our destination the stranger had made his way to my side and intertwined our fingers together. He's hands were so much larger than my own but so very warm.

I started to run. I could see the place I had wanted to reach. It was the large fountain at the other end of the park from where he and I had talked for what seemed like an eternity. Since it was the evening the fountain was lit up with a variety of lights. The trees around it had hanging lamps as well further illuminating the space around us. The view was breathe taking.

I looked over at him. He had taken his sunglasses off and I could see his sparkling eyes. A small smile danced upon his lips as he gazed at the beauty before him. He then turned to me. His crystal eyes gazed into my dark colored ones as he then leaned towards me. In that moment, I knew I had fallen for him.

He kissed me softly. My eyes flutter closed and I leaned in closer. The kiss was electric. Sparks danced across my lips the longer we kissed. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck when he placed his hands on my waist. Coco was preventing that. Even though I could not embrace him, the kiss was still enchanting. We parted in a desperate need for air.

My face was beet red and clearly visible in the low light. He smirked at me. I hid my face behind Coco's soft fur. Gently he took Coco from my arms and placed him on the ground. He then pulled me into a loving embrace. I couldn't stop myself from returning the affectionate gesture. We hadn't known each other long but deep inside my heart I knew he was the one I had been waiting for my whole life.

* * *

Our moment was ruined when I heard several shuffling feet. Coco was barking and running in erratic circles. I looked up and saw that we were surrounded. I made a noise in surprise and that got the stranger's attention. I had neglected to ask for his name earlier. He looked up and saw the array of police officers surrounding us. I clung to him tightly, I had no idea what was going on. I felt him pull me closer to his body in an effort to comfort me. His gesture seemed to spook the police officers as I heard several of them had cocked their guns.

"Freeze! Don't move!" one of them shouted.

All of them were heavily armed and alert. For the first time that night I heard several helicopters and sirens going off all around us. I was so focused on this man that I didn't even noticed the fountain plaza had been cleared out of pedestrians as well. Only police officers remain, they must have quietly removed everyone while we were sharing our wonderful embrace.

I was frozen, unable to move a muscle. I was so terrified I failed to notice the large cocky grin that appear on the face of the handsome man who is holding me in his arms. His chest began to rumble and he let out a loud roaring laugh. This startled me and I released my grip on him. He buckled over and gripped his stomach, how he could find this situation funny was beyond me. For the first time, I noticed that all the guns were trained on the laughing man. He was there target, I was in the way.

He looked at me with wild eyes and dragged me back against his chest. I no longer felt safe in his embrace. "I told you to FREEZE!" The police officer shouted again. Moments ago, this man was so charming, so relatable and in an instant, he changed to menacing and dangerous. I wanted to get away but was too scared to move, I didn't want him to hurt me nor did I want to get shot because I disobeyed the police officer's direct order. I was his hostage and he had captured me in body and in mind.

His laughing fit eventually ceased and he seemed to be contemplating something. His expression turned very serious as compared to the jovial look he wore before. He peered down into my terrified face. I refused to meet his gaze. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. The police cocked their guns a second time.

Dark terrified pools met dull gems. In his eyes, I saw loneliness, absolutely no malice. This truly perplexed me. I unconsciously relaxed my tense posture and my face contorted into confusion. I wanted to ask him what was going through his mind. Which was ridiculous. I don't understand myself, I was just petrified of him now I'm concerned about him. Before I could open my mouth, he hugged me for the last time, handed me those tacky sunglasses, and pushed me towards the police officers in front of us. He proceeded to raise his hands up into the air.

In an instant, they swarmed him. Two officers pulled me away from the scene. I tried to turn around to see what was happening but they would not let me. I was lead to the safety of the police cruisers. The two officers who had escorted me left my side and joined their colleagues. I turned around and saw the man who had lovingly embraced me seconds ago, pinned to the ground. Several men were pressing their weight onto to him while one officer read aloud his rights. His manic grin had reappeared on his face, I subconsciously recoiled at the sight of it.

* * *

I stood the mystified at the sight before me. The stranger was handcuffed and lifted off the ground. A few officers pushed him towards my direction. I watched as they drew closer to me. I could not keep my eyes off him. Time seemed to slow down, an officer was trying to get my attention but I couldn't be bothered to listen. I was to focused on my target. Multiple questions swirled around my head, mostly I wanted to know why, why did this happen?

He was a few feet away from me now. He stopped walking and looked me square in the face. I looked at him determined to get my message across without saying a word. He had the audacity to say "I know I'm handsome, no need to stare." I could not stop myself from smiling.

I wanted to hit him and kiss him all at once. I opted for the latter and quickly surged forward. Our lips briefly met. "You fool." He gave me a genuine smile before he was harshly shoved forward again. I frowned a little to myself since our moment was cut short. I decided to finally place my attention on the officer who kept pestering me.

She then explained to me that I needed to come with them as well. I was not being arrested but they had a few questions for me. Sighing I decided it was best to just stay quiet and nod. She led me to her police cruiser and we raced off towards the station behind the rest of the cars.

It was a long night at the police station. A few questions turned into a full-blown interrogation. Poor Coco was hungry and bored out of his mind, frankly so was I. They had offered me something small to eat beforehand but that was a while ago, nothing substantial just enough to tide me over. I shared some with Coco of course. None of their questions were making any sense to me and every time I tried to ask about the man who stole my heart, they avoided the topic. I was beginning to get irritated but stayed compliant and corporative, I do not need to get into trouble with the police.

Eventually they realized I could not provide them with the information that they needed. They let me loss into the main lobby finally. I was not free to go just yet but I was at least not confined to that single room. I decided to take some time and explore my surroundings because I had enough of sitting still and waiting. The area where the public was allowed in was large. There was even a fish tank near the far wall. While still carrying Coco, I walked over to observe the tiny aquatic creatures.

I noticed the holding cells while looking at the fish tank. Then I saw him sitting all by his lonesome. He still had handcuffs on and he was resting back against the wall. I looked around me and swiftly walked over to him. I had to ask him what was going on, no one else was going to tell me. I stepped up to the cell. He hadn't noticed me yet and I took a few moments to just simply look at him. He seemed so content, he was so weird. "Hey," I said.

He looked up at me and smiled. Nothing crazy just a soft pretty smile. Being locked up did not suit him, he wasn't a caged bird, to me he was a man that cannot be tamed. The idiot simply said "Fancy meeting you here."

I replied with "Charming." Time to get some answers. I leaned against the bars of the cell and shifted Coco in my arms trying to keep him from squirming. "Would you please explain to what exactly is going on? Everyone is asking me vague, random questions and won't answer any of mine. What exactly did you do, jail bird." I taunted him a bit, he deserved it for getting me involved with his mess, whatever it was.

"Still haven't figured it out honey? Your naivety amuses me." That was all he said before closing those beautiful eyes of his again.

"Really?! You too! Ugh I'm never going to know, am I?" I huffed at him in annoyance. His eyes remained closed as he crossed his arms over his chest. Great now he was ignoring me. What am I missing here? I know I can be clueless sometimes but geez I'm so far out of the loop I didn't even know there was one. I rested my forehead against the iron bars. The coolness was soothing my growing headache. I wish he'd talked to me.

"Hey you! Be careful! Get away from him! He's dangerous!" Some random officer yelled. I looked over at them questioningly.

"What do you mean?" I asked. The officer's jaw hung open for a second. Okay now I know I'm missing something major. I looked over at the jail bird again and he was smirking. He opened his one eye and just looked at me.

"You better listen to that officer, he's right." The handsome stranger said. He stood up from the bench he was resting on and walked towards be. I turned to face him fully. Once he reached the cell bars he bent down to whisper in my ear. "Ever heard of the Pink Feather Coat murders?" I backed away from him. What? Is he connected to them? Is that why he's in here? The officer who had warned me before ran off to get their superior. They returned with lightning speed and were standing behind me.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?! What connection could you possibly have to the Pink Feather Coat murders?! I don't understand any of this!" I screeched at the officers and the caged jail bird. Everyone in the lobby turned to look at me. My little outburst was causing a scene. Everyone else seemed to know something I didn't and it was driving me crazy. "What does everyone know that I don't?!"

"You really are clueless, aren't you? Oh, honey I don't just have a connection to the murders, I am the murderer. Fooled ya good, didn't I? Not so charming now am I?" He manically laughed in his cell. "I bet you know what my name is now don't ya? Come on let me hear you say it."

The room was dead silent after that. You could have heard a pin drop. My complexion turned pale. His expectant look was intimidating, for the hundredth time by now all I could do was stare at the man in front of me. I knew exactly who he was, there was no need to ask him his name. I wish I'd never learned who he was. All my curiosity died once he made that confession. I was on the verge of tears, I was in total disbelief. The man standing handcuffed in front of me, the man I had fallen deeply in love with in the span of a few hours was Donquixote Doflamingo, a criminal and a mass murderer.

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed this. More will be coming soon.**


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